This side of the rainbow
by LadyJazzie
Summary: A dark version of the Wizard of Oz based on a dream I had
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
On this side of the rainbow  
Way down low, there's a hell  
That each and every one of us knows  
  
On this side of the rainbow  
Skies are gray  
And your life is doom and gloom  
All day. 


	2. Chapter One The Accusation

Chapter One  
  
The Accusation  
  
"You shouldn't say such things about your uncle, Dorothy." Emily told her young niece as they stood at the rusty-looking stove in Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's Kansas home. Their home had four walls, a floor and a roof that made one room. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a bed in one corner of the room and Dorothy had a bed in another. Aunt Em was making a stew for dinner when Dorothy approached her.  
  
"But Auntie Em I was awake. He told me to be very quiet while he sat next to me. I was scared Auntie Em. Uncle Henry was different…" Dorothy tried to make her aunt understand. She was twelve years old and petite with long curly blonde hair and blue eyes like the ocean. Something like her didn't fit in with the gray Kansas surroundings or with the elderly Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. This was because Dorothy Gale was an orphan. Her parents died in an accident involving a cow and train track. "He was lookin' at my face but…but his hands were…" Dorothy broke into tears.  
  
Aunt Em slammed down the spoon she was using to stir the stew with on a burner that was not being used. "You better stop those crocodile tears you foolish little girl! Your Uncle Henry ain't done nothing to ya, hear? I say he ain't done nothing to ya!" she screamed into Dorothy's tear streaked face. This only made Dorothy go on bawling. Aunt Em was very flustered by Dorothy's flow of emotions and found it in herself to resort to physical punishment. She smacked Dorothy across the face one time and that was all that was needed to shut the child up.  
  
"Go outside and play with your dog. I don't want to hear those dirty words out of your mouth anymore. It's a sin to tell lies." Aunt Em went back to her stew. Dorothy sniffed to stop her nose from running. She made her way to the backyard where she found her small black dog Toto resting behind a bunch of haystacks. The haystacks were a good hiding place so she gave the dog company by sitting next to him.  
  
Toto rolled on his back when he felt Dorothy's presence, a sign that he wanted his stomach scratched. Dorothy happily obliged to the silent request. "I just don't understand it Toto. Why won't Aunt Em believe me? I've never lied before. I'm scared." She gathered Toto into her lap and hugged him tightly to which he gave her one of those heavy dog sighs.  
  
Dorothy looked out at her world of Kansas. Nothing was there but dirt. She knew she deserved better. Better than the bleak life she had been forced into. Everything was always gray. There was a permanent gray cloud hanging over the land but it never rained so of course there was a draught. The sky was never blue. Dorothy remembered blue skies from her time in Pennsylvania.  
  
She was born in Pittsburgh in 1888 on December 24th. Her mother and father, Arthur and Margaret Gale, were young and not without problems but were happy people. The birth of their first child in what was to be a set of 4 made them even happier to be alive and together. There was always laughter in their home, especially with little Dorothy getting into the usual child mischief. Dorothy looked like her mother from the very beginning. Her cheeks were full of a gorgeous red color the moment she breathed air from out of the womb. Blonde tufts of curls covered her head and her blue eyes sparkled with innocence, happiness and most of all love.  
  
The Gale home was nothing but love. Arthur Gale was an editor for a local newspaper. He was home every evening at 7 'o clock for his supper with is beloved wife and daughter. Mrs. Gale was the one who prepared the supper. She was a housewife but she was more than a maid and cook. She was a mother, a wife, a friend, and a lover. All of these qualities she hoped to pass on to Dorothy.  
  
After supper the couple would sit by the fireplace, whether it be lit or not, while Dorothy rode from their front porch to the dry Sahara to Florence to the emerald hills of Ireland and back on her rocking horse. "She looks just like you Margaret." Arthur observed one evening when Dorothy was four. "And has your spirit." This was all true. Dorothy was identical to her mother in appearance and personality. She had the same blonde hair with soft curls and their blue eyes of the deep sea matched perfectly. Their cheeks were always decorated with a natural rose blush; this was most likely because both mother and daughter were still gay children.  
  
Margaret and Arthur were sixteen when they were wed. Dorothy was born a year later. For eleven years they lived happily ever after. Then there was the accident that brought Dorothy to Kansas. Dorothy had never met her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry before but she was not shy. Thus, Dorothy was a welcome friend to the old who had become worn from the gray weather of Kansas. Something in Dorothy made them smile and Dorothy herself was determined to laugh and be merry every moment as she possibly could. She knew her parents would want it that way.  
  
Just as she was wishing herself far away from behind the haystack the wind picked up and there was an eerie whistling sound hitting her ears. Then there was someone calling her. "Dor-o-thy!" Dorothy tensed when she heard Uncle Henry's voice. She held onto Toto tighter and this made him give a little yelp as he sprang from her arms. Dogs have the ability to sense fear and Toto wanted to run far from it.  
  
"No Toto! Please don't leave me!" Dorothy broke into a run from her hiding place after Toto. She could barely hear words or footsteps over the wild wind that came from the north. Far off in the distance she saw a funnel touch ground. This worried the small girl a great deal. If she did not find Toto he would be lost and frightened and cold and alone. She also worried that if she did not find shelter she would be injured by the funnel since she felt her legs losing their spring. She fought hard against the wind to keep herself upright. At least if she could find Toto they could be lost and frightened and cold together.  
  
A barn was forming into view and Dorothy saw a little black figure running on four legs going into it. "Oh wait for me, Toto!" The child reached the barn and with her last bit of strength shut the doors. It was freezing inside, especially since Dorothy had just come inside from cold wind and rain. The wood of the barn was moldy; it was an abandoned place. Collapsed on the hay in her wet clothing, Toto nuzzled his face into her hair and there they waited out the storm until what may have been hours later. 


	3. Chapter Two The Meeting

Chapter Two  
  
The Meeting  
  
Two things mustered Dorothy to consciousness. One was the sunlight coming in from the open doors. This was very odd since Dorothy knew she had closed them. If the storm had opened them surely it would've also taken them away. But this wasn't all registering for her so quickly. She did recognize something else all at once that was frightening for a moment or two. Footsteps broke the stale hay beneath a stranger's feet.  
  
Dorothy gasped and was preparing to run away but she found herself trapped in a corner. She reached for Toto but the small dog was missing. Please don't be Uncle Henry, please don't be Uncle Henry. She repeated in her mind. Dorothy scrunched her face up and closed her eyes in fearful anticipation.  
  
"Hello?" a voice called. Right away Dorothy knew the voice did not belong to Uncle Henry. This voice was kind, concerned and belonging to someone much younger. "Are you sure there's someone in here boy?" A yelp was let out and Dorothy opened her eyes to see Toto running towards her. Dorothy held her arms out to her animal companion. He looked at the speaker and barked once more before leaping on Dorothy's lap.  
  
She kissed the top of Toto's head and raised her eyes to meet the young man that was crouching down to next to her. He felt her forehead with the back of his hand. "You're amazing. How did you survive that storm?" He asked. Dorothy studied him. Brown hair. Black, gentle eyes. He could only be three years older than her at most. She has never met this boy before but he was so familiar to her. It was as if she had dreamt him up into coming and saving her.  
  
"Well..I was running to find Toto-oh, that's this puppy-and I chased him in here. So then I fell asleep...Who are you?"  
"Haha, passed out is more like it. My name is Ian Gellar but I haven't got a clue who you are."  
"Dorothy Gale."   
Ian took her hand and kissed the top of it. "Pleased to meet you Miss Gale. This is my family's old barn. We stopped using it when we built a new larger one. We almost tore this one down, we're all lucky we didn't."  
  
"Why's that?" Dorothy asked with the cutest of curious words.  
  
"You probably wouldn't have found shelter quick enough and the new barn was destroyed by the storm."  
  
Dorothy gasped and held Toto tighter. "How awful! Was your home damaged at all? What about your family members!" She was breathing in long gasps.  
  
"Hey, settle down," Ian warned. "Don't get yourself worked up over nothing. Everyone is fine." What Ian really wanted was to help the girl find her way home but feared mention of her family might set Dorothy off even more. He had to choose his words carefully. "Where do you live Dorothy? I'll walk you home." He politely offered his service.  
  
The child's gaze turned down. "It's not too far from here. A straight path pretty much.."  
  
Ian was worried by her change in expression. He wasn't sure which part of his words had triggered her pulling away. The boy stood and offered his hand to Dorothy. Immediately the girl grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be held up by Ian. How sursprising, Ian thought.  
  
Dorothy squinted as the sun hit her eyes when she left the barn. "I feel as if I've been gone for days." I wish I had, Dorothy thought. She looked over the land. It was all the same as it was before the storm. Every single bit of it was still colorless. It was still the boring, painful place it had been. Dorothy was still going to have to go home and face her guardians.  
  
"Which direction?" Ian asked wanting to know how to escort Dorothy. Dorothy pointed North. So they went North with Dorothy's hand in Ian's, Toto trotting ahead.  
  
Dorothy was regretting telling Ian the truth about where she lived. She wished she had pointed South and let him drop her off at an anonymous house. From there she could have ran far away and never have to deal with Kansas again. She would run all the way back to her home in Pennsylvania. Even if new residents lived there she would sneak in during the night and light a fire. She would fall asleep in the same spot she used to sleep in her mother's lap. And if Uncle Henry had come to fetch her she would reach her hand into the fire and throw smoldering pieces of coal at him to keep him from ruining her happiness.  
  
It's too late for that, she thought sadly.  
  
"Gellar!! Did you see that twister that came blowing through here?" A boy that looked the same age as Ian approached them. He had blonde hair and eyes as gray as the earth around them.  
  
"Hey Rick, I couldn't really have missed something that size." Ian replied. "This is Dorothy, I'm taking her home. She got lost during the storm and took shelter in the old barn."  
  
Rick knelt down to Dorothy. "Hi," he said with a smile.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Rick looked at Ian. "I'm not very good with kids."  
  
Ian snickered. "Don't be such a jerk, Rick."  
  
Then there was a racket. It was the first noise since the storm had ended. Rick stood and looked ahead to get a better look of what was coming. "The Nelson brothers...Keep the little girl close to you Ian. You know how they can be."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah I know. Why don't you get out of here Rick? They'll really cause trouble if they find both of us." Rick agreed and took off in the direction he had been going before he met up with Dorothy and Ian. During Ian and Rick's conversation Dorothy had been more and more confused. Now she saw three boys coming down the dirt road on bicycles. She supposed these were the Nelson brothers. They looked and sounded rowdy which was a change from the atmosphere she experienced each day in Kanses. Usually change would be welcomed by Dorothy but these three seemed to be an unpleasant bunch.  
  
"Stay close Dorothy." Ian gently ordered and gripped her hand. Hoping to avoid the boys barreling down the road Ian kept Dorothy and himself to the side. He made sure to keep his gaze off of the trio. Dorothy on the other hand was intently staring.  
  
The bikes skidded to a stop and the tires kicked up dust. Little Dorothy coughed. What looked to be the eldest boy adressed Ian. "Well hey there Ian."  
  
"Good day Mark." Ian nodded his head politely and kept walking.  
  
"Wait up now." Mark said and he motioned for his brothers to follow. They edged along on their bicycles to stay at the same pace as Ian and Dorothy. "We'd like to know if any of your property damaged."  
  
"Why? Do you have enough money for me to be willing to sell my land?" Ian was trying to be rude so Mark would get the hint to leave.  
  
The Nelson boys were troublemakers, everyone that met them knew that. So even if they got the hint they would not act on it. "We're all just concerned. Who's this?" He pointed at Dorothy by nodding his head backwards and pointing at her with his chin.  
  
"A girl that was in distress because of the twister. I'm taking her home. We need to get there quickly, I'm sure her family is worried about her."  
  
Mark stepped off his bike and his brothers followed suit. "We're going back that way, we can take her."  
  
Ian half glanced at the boys and declined. "No way. Why would she want to be taken home by worms like you?"  
  
"Worms!" Mark shouted. He clumped up some dirt and pebbles in his hands and began to pelt Ian with it. "Get him, you two!" His brothers also began shoveling dirt out with their hands. Toto began to growl and sprang ahead in the direction of Aunt Em's and Uncle Henry's. Dorothy thought that was the worst possible thing he could.  
  
Ian knelt down and turned his back to it so he could shield Dorothy. He picked up the girl and began to run with her. When he first held her in his arms she gave a little cry but he knew it was just a normal reaction for a girl and not a cry of pain.  
  
"We'll get you later Gellar!"  
  
The home of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry was finally in view. Ian put Dorothy on her feet and just as they were sighing in relief a lone tall figure was running up to them. Dorothy knew it could only be one person. "I don't want to go home.."  
  
Ian was very puzzled by the words he heard Dorothy whisper. Uncle Henry caught up to them. "Dorothy!" he cried as he embraced. Dorothy was frozen stiff. Uncle Henry stood back up. "Did you find this little one?"  
  
"..Oh, yes sir. She chased her little dog into an old barn. I found her and brought her here right away." Ian replied formally. He sensed something was wrong in Dorothy by the way she had grabbed his hand when her uncle had come near her.  
  
"You're Joel Gellar's son, aren't you?" Uncle Henry asked. He was being friendly and kept a smile on his face to begin to erase any tension hanging in the air.  
  
Ian nodded. "Do only you and Dorothy live here?" The thought made him nervous.  
  
"Oh no, my wife Emily lives here too. We're a happy family. Dorothy has been a breath of fresh air for us. She makes us feel young again."  
  
"I understand, sir." Ian turned to Dorothy. "I'll come to keep you company from now on Dorothy. I promise." Ian looked at Uncle Henry after he said this to catch his initial reaction. He could see he made Uncle Henry nervous.  
  
"That won't be neces-" Uncle Henry began.  
  
"I'd love to see you again Ian!" Dorothy shouted.  
  
Ian smiled. "I'll come by tomorrow." He leaned down and gave Dorothy a firm hug.  
  
"Thank you for saving me."  
  
Then he was walking away and so was she. Uncle Henry had her hand.  
  
"Aunt Em will bo so glad to know you're safe. I'll go in and tell her first. She hates to let anyone see her cry." Uncle Henry let go of Dorothy's hand and entered to house.  
  
Dorothy was shaking. She wanted to stop. She wanted Ian to hug her again. She wanted to be happy again.  
Save me again tomorrow Ian. Dorothy thought as she saw him disappear. Dorothy sat on the porch and closed her eyes. She couldn't stand the gray any more.   
  
The entire world around her was gray and everyone around her was washed in it. Even Ian had been so used to the gray that he hadn't said anything. That entire day after the cyclone no one even noticed to rainbow that was painted across the sky. 


End file.
